10 Tips for 10 Years

The number 10 holds a significant place in the world. The Bill of Rights is comprised of 10 amendments to the Constitution. A telephone number including the area code is 10 digits long. A decade is defined as a combination of 10 years, and in 2017 Image Marketing Consultants celebrated this milestone, reaching its 10th anniversary in business.

President Kate Sirignano felt that owning her own company would allow her to better balance her work life. She dreamed of being a business owner from a young age, and fulfilled that dream at just 23 years old with the creation of Image Marketing Consultants. The company was born as an event-marketing agency-an industry where Kate thought her business could thrive and expand.

“I felt like there really wasn’t any boutique agency in central Conn. that could offer the same type of services that we could for the value that we could,” she said.

However, Kate soon realized that her company could be of most help to clients in the fields of branding and public relations. These two departments have grown to be the focus of the business today.

In keeping with the theme of 10, Kate has brainstormed 10 marketing tips that she felt were crucial to her company surviving its first decade in business.

1.) Be authentic to your brand

“Forget about trends, and do what works for you.”

A Boston Consulting Group study found brand authenticity as the second most important quality for millennials when choosing to support a company.

2.) Find your marketing voice

“Be consistent with what you say.”

3.) Be wise with your spending

“Spend money on things that will bring you back continual ROI.”

More than half of marketers say that video is the content marketing tactic that gets the best ROI.

4.) Understand that websites are often the first thing people see when checking out your business

“Remember that first impressions matter.”

It takes only 50 milliseconds for users to form their opinion about your website.

5.) Adopt a workplace culture that represents who you are as a company

“Surround yourself with colleagues that share your same vision for the company.”

6.) Use everyday language in advertisements

“Refrain from using extensive vocabulary or words that people might not understand.”

7.) Review current social media posts, and make a social media-marketing plan before posting new content.

“Be organized and original with each post.”

8.) Network at every opportunity.

“Making connections with other professionals can be crucial to growing a business.”

85% of all jobs are placed through networking.

9.) The more questions you ask your clients the better.

“Be aware of their likes and dislikes, and what it is that they are asking of you.”

70% of buying experiences are based on how the client was treated.

10.) Use hashtags appropriately.

“Refrain from using a hashtag for every word in the tweet. Be specific.”

These tips have helped launch the success of Image Marketing Consultants. In its first 10 years of business, the company was recognized as a Top 25 Agency by Hartford Business Journal, while Kate herself was honored with two 40 under Forty awards. However, Kate recognizes that building a business from scratch has not always been an easy process. She shared that other companies often didn’t take her seriously simply because they thought she was too young and inexperienced. Yet she believed in her work and adhered to these 10 shared tips to keep her going.

“Originally, I was just happy to get the business off the ground, and being able to bring on clients,” she said. “Now my goal is to become the top lifestyle agency in Connecticut.”

It is this goal that will propel Image Marketing Consultants into the next decade of business success, and another 10 years of growth.